* Copying file (question for Jane maybe?)

[davidm_uk]

Based on a post some time ago by Jane (I believe) I've been using SYNCBACK to create copies of my genealogy files onto a network disk drive so that I can use them from my laptop (and provide a second backup copy).

More recently I've seen a recommendation (again I think from Jane) for a program called ROBOCOPY for doing much the same thing. Does ROBOCOPY have any advantages or disadvantages over SYNCBACK just for copying files (speed maybe)? My folder of image files (photos, images of certificates and census entries etc) is now getting quite quite big and takes a while to copy. The implication of writeups I've seen on ROBOCOPY is that it works at a lower level than Windows and therefor may be faster.

ROBOCOPY seems to be part of a much larger package of MS tools, is it possible to only install ROBOCOPY or do I have to install the complete package?

Thanks, David.

ID:4230

[Jane]

I don't use RoboCopy, I am using DropBox for my Family History files at the moment, which keeps my laptop and desktop in sync and provides an online backup at the same time.

SyncBack should only be copying changed files, so other than the comparision what is taking the time on the copies?

[davidm_uk]

Sorry Jane, it must have been someone elses post where I saw ROBOCOPY being suggested.

Good question about copying only changed files! I'll have to investigate in more detail what's going on, maybe the virus checker or something slowing down network traffic.

Thanks for your reply.

David.

[Jane]

Another possibility is one machine is formatted NTFS and the other is not. This causes problems as the times end up being different. There is a switch in Syncback to deal with it if that's the problem.

[oldtimer47]

I use Synctoy (an MS freebie) that allows you to synchronise drives and only copies new or changed files.

Peter